The Relationship Between Severe Mental Disorders and Recidivism in a Sample of Women Released from Prison

Purpose/Background: The purpose of this study is to determine if a relationship exists between SMDs and recidivism for women. Women and individuals with mental disorders are two of the fastest growing sectors of the prison population (Cloyes, et al., 2010). Severe mental disorders (SMDs) are differentiated from other mental health problems because they are more pervasive and impact multiple domains of an individual’s life (Serowick & Yanos, 2013). Women with SMDs may experience difficulties in maintaining employment and sustaining positive long-term interpersonal relationships, both of which have a negative influence on the reentry process.

Methods: The relationship between severe mental disorders (SMDs) and recidivism over an eight year period was explored using administrative data collected for all women leaving prison in a southeastern state from 2000-2001. Severe mental disorders (SMDs) were conceptualized as any diagnosis falling into one of four categories: depression, bipolar disorder, dissociative disorder, or schizoaffective disorder. The sample size for this analysis was 2311 women. Logistic regression was used to test the hypothesis that women with an SMD were more likely to recidivate when compared to women without a SMD. Cox regression was used to test the hypothesis that having an SMD would increase the risk of the hazard of recidivism for these women.

Results: Based on the results of the logistic regression analysis, all hypothesized predictors of recidivism were statistically significant (p <.01), with the exception of having a severe mental disorder (p=.11). Significant predictors included: age, minority status, whether or not a woman has children, marital status, substance abuse, and number of prior incarcerations. In this sample, women with SMDs were 20% more likely to recidivate, however this was not found to be statistically significant, meaning it may only be true of this sample. The results of the Cox regression analysis found that women with a serious mental disorder were at 16% greater hazard to return to prison than their peers without a serious mental disorder (hazard ratio [HR] = .86, p < .05, CI = [.773-.996]; 1/.86 = 1.16. Beyond having a serious mental disorder, the hazard to return to prison was also increased for those individuals with the following characteristics: younger age, minority, married, whether they have children, a greater number of prior incarcerations, and substance abuse.

Implications: Based on the results of this study, SMI does appear to have a relationship with whether or not a woman is likely to recidivate for this sample. Social workers are likely to provide services to women reentering their communities and attempting to rebuild their lives post incarceration. SMDs further complicate the experiences of women facing reentry. Many of these issues are not adequately addressed while these women are incarcerated. It is under these circumstances that social workers often come into contact with women attempting to navigate the reentry process, and having an understanding of the relationship between SMDs and recidivism important when providing services to this population. SMDs should also be considered when conducting research on incarcerated women or women reentering their communities.